Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1887-01-22

= LV EN1N0 SIAN w
THE SCHOOL. MANAGEMENT.
Charges to be Submitted 70 the Senate
Committee what Commissioner
Webb Says.
A statement is to be sent to the Senate district
committee contrasting the present management
OF the public schools as compared with that under
the old board of trustees. This comparison is first
in regard to the schedule OF teachers salaries
which, 1t is said, are now made practically de-
pendent upon the favor OF the superintendent in
stead of being adjusted according to length Of
service grade OF school and merit as was the case
under the old board. 1t is claimed that the sala-
res OF the principal OF one of the high schools his
male and female assistants, the superintendent
OF drawing and music, the supervising principals
have been increased while no increase in salaries
have been allowed to teachers in the common
ScnoOl grades. The supervising principals, it is
the gramas Schools Wa sw9 ho9 9be ea do
now teach at oil, but are simply assistant superin
tendents 1t is also charged that the contingent
that over 500 have been expended in printing
text book compilations. 1t Is charged that the
the Franklin building for private Office, and that
the school was sent elsewhere. The statement
then proceeds to charge that contract was made
books at rates higher than another bidder had
offered. An extract is given from the letter which
With Mr " Nh u B5aantyne he only other bidder
commissioner Webb under date of June 90 1856.
In TINS letter MI. Ballantyne states that "the ar
higher than the other bid, while other items are
at a more nominal price. For example, Bibles,
eight and half cents and Gn are a!
which costs about 81, is offered at So and so on
l assert unhedtatingly that it would have been
more to the interest of the District to have
cepted the other bid; certainly 1t would have been
an easy matter to make the award item by item,
which m has frequently been done, andif mistake
done last year on the stationery schedule, the
main portion Of which got. This would have eff
could have complained Of unfair treatment"
me statement then compares the prices in the
accepted bid with those in the rejected bid on a
number OF items, and in each Of these cases the
prices In the accepted bid are higher than those
IN the rejected bid. A number OF instances are
given OF bids on books for which it was supposed
that there would not be any demand, and these
DldS are SAID to be much lower than the whole
SAFE price For instance it is stated that the bid
cents While its wholesale price is given as $1.25
WHAT COMMISSIONERS WEBB SAYS.
STAR reporter this morning called Commits
sl0ner Webbs attention to this matter, and he
said that owing to the press of business he could
not at that time go very fully into the subject.
lie, however, said that the change in the
schedule of teachers salaries went into effect be-
lore the present board Of Commissioners came into
which at present existed in the schedule as well
as the constant complaints which are made on
TINS score by recommending to the appropriations
committees OF Congress that the same system be
introduced In grading the pay OF public school
teacne:s as at present existed in the government
classes determined by their pay and could be used
In whatever grade or the schools they might be
considered the best adapted for. He thought that
tlOn Tor next year.
Mr.. Webb further said that he did not understand
what was meant by three-fourths OF the con-
tlhgent fund being already expended and had not
been informed that such was the case. AS to the
superintendent taking a school room in the
Franklin building Tor his private office, it is ex-
planned that the school board has Changed the
room from an upper story to the one adjoining the
supeilnIendents Office, and that the school which
was Formerly there has gone up stairs to the old
room OF the board. The superintendent NAV use
TINS room by arrangement with the board, but the
numDer OF ScnOOl rooms remain the same
MIR. Webb stated in regard TO the school hool,
contract that there were two bidders Nj M
ianey, OF Baltimore, and Mr.. VIM. Ballantyne OF
this city; that the award was made on the aggre-
gate DID instead OF by items it having been decided
mat THIS was the best In this instance although
in other contracts the award was made by items.
He said that for the first time it was inserted in
the contract that the books should be sold to the
puDllc school scholars at the same rate that
proht on the latter was very small he believed not
more than One-Jenth, while when there was no
r tb placed on the price to the scholars in gene
understood that the main profit from the contract
arose from this source and this year for the first
time this had been cut on
AS 10 low bids on articles in small demand and
niSneI DidS on articles generally used, Mr. Webb
said: u believe that this is done in all contracts
Wnen contractors understand their business and In
this instance think that Mr.. Ballantyne knows
how TO bid as well as any one else and the two
bids did not diner much in this respect. sti the
contract made was favorable one, and much
more so, In our Judgment, than If the award mad
Deen made by Items However, in this respect, as
Wen as In all Others the Commissioners invite the
fullest investigation"
VIEWS OF Mr. ROSS FISH.
MI. KOS A. Fish the assistant register of the
United States Treasury,is member OF the present
school board, and he was asked this morning what
he thought OF the charges which are to be pre-
Sented TO Congress against the present manage
ment OF the affairs OF the public schools
sit seems TO me, he said, "that it is revival of
the Wilson Birney tight and is probably intended
TO boom the new ScnOol bill. The school book
contract, the change in the salaries OF the teach
ers, &c, were all done before the present board
are burdenSOne and the labor is one entirely OF love
Ny opinion OF this entire matter is that instead
OF increasing the number OF school trustees, it
ought to be reduced. think that five would be
enough, and they ought to receive salaries. The
great scandal arising heretofore from the patron
age OF the appointment OF teachers is avoided by
giving the commissioners that power, and that
other great scandal arising from the purchase OF
schoOi books can be averted by having the govern
at the government printing office and sold at
cost. The state Of California now does
this With some or the books used in the public
schools OF the state and it is proposed as soon as
possible to have ali the books issued in this Way
propose to recommend the adoption of such a
method here: committee can be appointed to
prepare books, thus avoiding the payment of a
ROYALTY, which at present is great tax. l am OF
the opinion that the schools can be honestly and
wisely administered without turning the meetings
OF the school board into debating societies. Under
the system OF large board without salaries. men
want to make something in return for the work
Some want nOto1ety, others want money and
Others want the power that comes from patronage
What the citizens OF the District want as under
stand 1t, Is to exclude all this element from the
management OF the public schools and have the
business attended TO by men who, Ike bank direc-
tors and Others In positions OF trust feel an honest
desire TO act for the public interests For this rea-
son think that the public owes 1t as q duty that
they should receive reasonable compensation for
the services rendered"
A BarefOOted Female PrisOner.
HER SHOES AND STOCKINGS TAKEN FROM HER RY
TIE POLICE.
Thursday night Offcer j. W. Howell. OF the 4th
precinct, arrested young cOlored woman named
Carrie Day, on charge of stealing S. gold piece
| from Mary Dean, OF No. 138 G street southwest.
The prisoner had on her feet pair of new shoes
and stockings, which the officer supposed she had